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Black Mirror – Season 3, Episode 2 Playtest

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Black Mirror – Season 3, Episode 2

Playtest

Aired Oct 21, 2016

Sci-Fi

Drama

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Popcornmeter

87%

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23 Reviews

While in Britain, a thrill-seeking globetrotter tests a video game that is terrifyingly advanced.

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Critics Consensus

In "Playtest," the psychologically horrifying world of virtual reality is nicely counterbalanced by the sheer likability of the episode's protagonist played by the charismatic Wyatt Russell.

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Charlie Brooker

Creator

Wyatt Russell

Cooper

Hannah John-Kamen

Sonja

Wunmi Mosaku

Katie

Charlie Brooker

Writer

Annabel Jones

Executive Producer

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Jackie Strause

The Hollywood Reporter

10/03/2018

With its extra twisty ending, "Playtest" pulls on the heartstrings. The horror romp warns of the near-future dangers of virtual and augmented reality, and the story's protagonist is a likable character - a rarity in the Black Mirror world.

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Alan Sepinwall

Uproxx

08/18/2018

This one leans very heavily on Wyatt Russell's sheer charisma and likability to work.

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Sam Wollaston

Guardian

08/18/2018

Nosedive feels bigger and more cinematic... than previous Black Mirror episodes. It looks and sounds beautiful.

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Mallory Rubin

The Ringer

07/18/2023

Like any successful Black Mirror episode, “Playtest” is ostensibly about the perils of advancing technology, but is actually a treatise on humanity.

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Jacob Hall

Slashfilm

12/04/2018

Ultimately, all of those scares climax with an ending that is inscrutable in the best possible ways.

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Aubrey Page

Collider

10/03/2018

Trachtenberg seems aware of the deeply silly nature of this cautionary tech fable, eventually cashing in on a kitschy, pseudo-Twilight Zone kicker that might feel like cheating - that is, if the journey to "Playtest's" ending wasn't quite so fun.

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Synopsis

While in Britain, a thrill-seeking globetrotter tests a video game that is terrifyingly advanced.

Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Creator: Charlie Brooker
Executive Producer: Annabel Jones, Charlie Brooker
Screenwriter: Charlie Brooker
Network: Netflix
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date: Oct 21, 2016

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